Ori was one of the thirteen Dwarves of Thorin's company who journeyed to Erebor to challenge the dragonSmaug. After the death of Smaug, Ori lived at the Lonely Mountain[1] until he went to Moria as part of Balin's ill-fated attempt to re-take the ancient mansions of the Dwarves.[2]

Contents

History

Ori's parentage is unknown, although he was a remote kinsman of Thorin and a member of the House of Durin.[3] His birth year is also unknown. However, in Bilbo Baggins' account of the quest to Erebor, it was said that the brothers Fíli and Kíli were the youngest of the thirteen "by some fifty years"[4] and that after Thorin had been captured, Balin was "the eldest left".[5] Since Fíli was born in T.A.2859 and Balin was born in 2763,[3] this would put Ori's birth between 2809 and 2763, and he would have been between 132 and 178 years old during the quest to Erebor. Ori was a member of the House of Durin and probably lived in the Blue Mountains with Thorin after he began living there following the loss of Thráin II.[3]

The Quest of Erebor

In T.A.2941,[6] Ori was one of the five Dwarves in the fourth group to arrive at Bag End. He wore a grey hood. During the evening when Thorin called for music, Ori (along with Dori and Nori) played the flute.[7]

When Gandalf was telling the story of the company's adventures to Beorn, Ori and Nori were the second pair of Dwarves to arrive.[8]

When Frodo Baggins came to Rivendell he met Glóin, who delighted in telling the hobbit about the doings of the renewed dwarf-kingdom in the Lonely Mountain. But when Frodo asked about Ori, Balin, and Óin (also members of Thorin and Company), Glóin's face darkened and he said that he did not know. In fact, their fate was largely why the Dwarves had come to Rivendell at that time, to seek advice.[1]

Legacy

During the War of the Ring, the Fellowship of the Ring journeyed through Moria and discovered the book that contained the records of the expedition. The last lines were written by Ori, as recognized by Gimli due to Ori's recognizable large, bold handwriting using Tengwar (Gimli also said that Ori could write well and speedily).[2]

Ori is played by Adam Brown.[13] A description of Ori in The Hobbit films was released by the studio:

Younger brother to Nori and Dori, Ori is a talented artist, and can often be found drawing and writing in his journal. It is Ori who chronicles much of the journey through The Wild to the shores of the Long Lake and the slopes of The Lonely Mountain. Polite and well-bred, he is used to be being bossed around by his older brother Dori and is usually biddable, although occasionally he can surprise his fellow companions with his courage and determination.—Warner Bros.[14]

While in the book Fíli and Kíli are said to be the youngest of the 13 Dwarves in Thorin's company by at least 50 years, Ori is instead the youngest in the Hobbit films.

There are two dwarves that have the name Ori. Foreman Ori stands near the Silver Deep Mine in Thorin's Gate. There is also a Captain Ori that the player controls during a session play entitled "We Cannot Get Out".[16] Since the events of the game happen after T.A.2994 and the session play is a flashback of the fight in the Twenty-First Hall that happened during T.A.2994, Foreman Ori must be a character created specifically for the game, while Captain Ori is Turbine's adaptation of the Ori described in Tolkien's writings.